Whispering Willows is a horror puzzle game that features a dark and rich narrative, beautiful 2-D visuals, and haunting melodies that will leave you yearning for more. The game will release for OUYA, PC, Linux, and Mac (and if stretch goals are hit, later to Android and iOS). The emotional story will unfold over five riveting chapters, each more intriguing than the last. The story will immerse you in a rich history steeped in the depths of the human soul as you solve the mysteries of wayward spirits.

You will assume the role of a young girl named Elena as she searches for her missing father, against challenging odds, working through unconventional puzzles and bypassing other-worldly obstacles. She must harness the powers of her heritage, utilizing astral projection and other ethereal abilities to find her father before he, too becomes lost to the hopeless morass of the Willows estate.

Our goal at Night Light Interactive is to create innovative, exciting, and memorable experiences. Being gamers ourselves, we're always trying to innovate and create something totally new and unique, while retaining the best elements of the old. The ultimate payoff is to see the reaction of someone who experiences a game we have created. When we initially started Whispering Willows, that was and remains our goal.

Control Elena in the Physical and Spirit Realms

Utilize Elena's supernatural ability to make an astral projection of her spirit and enter the realm of the dead. You'll solve puzzles by switching between her two forms and using them to your advantage. Fly through the air, squeeze through cracks no mortal could fit through, manipulate time to your will, freeze objects and harness the power of light to ward off evil spirits in the mansion.

Help Spirits Move on to the Afterlife

The wayward spirits you interact with are all hopelessly chained to this existence. Help them to peaceful absolution and save them from their violent fates. Each ghost has their own story to tell, and helping them may just help you to overcome obstacles of your own.

Solve the Mysteries of Willows Mansion

As you assist Elena in finding her Father, the many disturbing secrets of Willows Mansion will unravel, revealing to you a past that is so horrifying and yet so human that you'll be left not knowing what to think. The lies, deceit and inhuman violence will all bubble to the surface when you play Whispering Willows.

Art from the game can be found in the Art Book. Pledge at the appropriate reward tier to get an exclusive Kickstarter copy!

To thank you for your support, we have brought together some very talented people to work on the rewards. In addition to the game, you can get the soundtrack, art book, and a ton of other Whispering Willows swag!

We have several T-shirt designs which you will be able to choose from:

At the SHAPE THE GAME, PORTRAIT, SPIRIT AVATAR, and EASTER EGG tier you can work with our team to implement your ideas into Whispering Willows. Imagine your creativity and designs in a game that thousands of people will play!

There are also two different plushie designs based off characters in the game. Below is the beautiful little Elena plushie and the first ghost you meet in the game, Flying Hawk!

One of the most incredible rewards is at the AMULET tier. You will receive a hand carved jade amulet, based on the amulet that Elena wears. These carvings are one of a kind and exclusively designed for the game.

We are really excited to bring you so many unique rewards. If you have any questions please feel free to ask us.

We have the make-up of a very successful team, as our producers have the necessary experience to lead such a dedicated group of individuals. David Logan and Sonya Ballas have produced on games, VFX, and animation projects with clients like Disney, Mattel, 20th Century Fox, Animal Planet, Sony and NBC.

The art team have worked for clients including Disney, Lucas Arts, Cartoon Network, and Nickelodeon and for games such as Bioshock, Tony Hawk, FIFA, and Call of Duty 4. Lead programmer Kresimir Cvitanovic won awards including Denmark's national Game of the Year Award, for the game Bubble Struggle, which had over 500 million plays. The composer Steve Goldshein has been featured in the soundtrack for the hit show Red vs. Blue.

The scope of our game is beginning to expand with the growing hype of the OUYA console, the overwhelmingly positive feedback from our followers, and the passion from our team members.
We decided to come to Kickstarter because we want to create the best possible product and experience for YOU!

The narrative of the game is divided into five distinct chapters and we're working as hard as we can to get the first chapter finished as soon as possible. After that initial step, the rest will come much more quickly. We hope to fulfill the potential that this game has and eventually extend it to all platforms, as well, but in order to accomplish these goals, we need your help. With most of our team members working full time jobs and only able to dedicate less than 20 hours a week to this title, we have a few rock stars that can get us there. With your help, we can provide funding for those additional artists that would otherwise be unavailable to us, release on time, and provide our audience with the best possible outcome of this game. And who doesn't like a fantastically executed horror puzzle game?

Risks and challenges

We've been working on this game for over a month now from a concept that began six months ago, and have leaped each hurdle we've come across, plugging on with our dream - to make great, original games that come with unique experiences for players.

Bugs and Patches - One of our main challenges will be the fact that bugs will happen and patches may be required. Providing our audience with prompt and adequate updates will be a challenge as it is for anyone developing technology and games. There may also be updates from Unity and the OUYA itself that will potentially require our programmers' attention even after the initial release has proven itself relatively flawless. We are committed to continuing to support the game.

Content Additions - We hope to release as much quality content as possible with budget and time restrictions. As such, parts of the game may take some time to finesse and make perfect.

Easter Eggs and Other Rewards - For the higher tiers, it is possible that we may have to incorporate some of our backers' requests into the game. We will do our best to adhere to the backers' wishes and specifications while still keeping the integrity of the game and maintaining working code throughout the releases. There may be times where we have to negotiate with the backer if we feel their request will not be plausible with the currently released material and future deadlines.

Of course not! We had 10 days to create a game for the OUYA Create Game Jam (http://killscreendaily.com/create/) and the alpha demo is a slightly more polished version of that. We have a fantastic team of artists, animators, designers, and programmers who will be working very hard over the following months to produce the best game possible.

Yes, we will be setting up payments through Paypal and our website after our Kickstarter has ended. Stay tuned! We will be selling some of the merchandise from the Kickstarter on our website, so you can purchase additional copies of the game, plushies, etc. Some swag will be Kickstarter exclusive though.

Rewards

Pledge $10 or more

GAME- Get the full game of Whispering Willows, distributed digitally on OUYA, PC, Mac, or Linux, and get a special thanks on our website!

Estimated delivery:Jul 2013

You selected

Pledge $25 or more

173 backers

SPECIAL EDITION- Get the haunting soundtrack to the game, the digital art book with beautiful high resolution images and behind the scenes information, and an exclusive Kickstarter wallpaper. Includes the full game and special thanks on our website!

Estimated delivery:Jul 2013

You selected

Pledge $50 or more

17 backers

SHAPE THE GAME- Get early access to the beta version of the game and your name or handle listed in the game's credits! Give your input and get access to exclusive forums. The best ideas will make it into the game!
Includes all previous rewards.

Estimated delivery:Apr 2013

You selected

Pledge $75 or more

11 backers

T-SHIRT- An exclusive Kickstarter T-Shirt! Choose a design from the "Rewards" section. Includes all previous rewards.

Estimated delivery:Jul 2013

Ships anywhere in the world

You selected

Pledge $100 or more

17 backers

COLLECTOR'S BOOK (PRINT)- Get the hardcover printed art book with beautiful high resolution images and behind the scenes information. Includes all previous rewards.

Estimated delivery:Sep 2013

Ships anywhere in the world

You selected

Pledge $150 or more

14 backers
Limited (1 left of 15)

PORTRAIT- Get an original signed digital portrait of yourself. The portrait will also be hung on the walls of the mansion in the game! Includes all previous rewards.

Estimated delivery:Jul 2013

Ships anywhere in the world

You selected

Pledge $250 or more

4 backers
Limited (6 left of 10)

PLUSHIE- Handcrafted plushies based on Elena and Flying Hawk, your choice of one. See the designs in the "Rewards" section. Includes all previous rewards.

Estimated delivery:Sep 2013

Ships anywhere in the world

You selected

Pledge $300 or more

5 backers
Limited (5 left of 10)

SPIRIT AVATAR- Work with us to design a NPC spirit that lives in the mansion! What is preventing your spirit from moving on to the afterlife? We will craft an original story, death, and design for your spirit! Includes all previous rewards.

Estimated delivery:Jul 2013

Ships anywhere in the world

You selected

Pledge $400 or more

0 backers
Limited (5 left of 5)

EASTER EGG- Exclusive super secret easter egg created just for you! We won't tell anyone else how to find it! So super, so secret! Includes all previous rewards.

Estimated delivery:Jul 2013

Ships anywhere in the world

You selected

Pledge $500 or more

0 backers
Limited (5 left of 5)

PLUSHIE POWER- Includes a second handcrafted plushie (first is from PLUSHIE tier)! Get both Elena and Flying Hawk! See the designs in the "Rewards" section. Includes all previous rewards.

Estimated delivery:Sep 2013

Ships anywhere in the world

You selected

Pledge $750 or more

1 backer
Limited (4 left of 5)

AMULET- Extraordinary handcrafted jade amulet necklace, based on the one Elena wears in the game. May contain spiritual powers. See the design in the "Rewards" section. Includes all previous rewards.

Estimated delivery:Sep 2013

Ships anywhere in the world

You selected

Pledge $1,000 or more

2 backers
Limited (3 left of 5)

ONE WITH US- Get every expansion and game Night Light Interactive ever makes. Come to LA and meet the team. You're responsible for travel costs. Sonya will make you a home cooked meal and we will be your friend for the rest of your life. Includes ALL rewards!

Estimated delivery:Sep 2013

Ships anywhere in the world

Funding period

Feb 11, 2013 - Mar 15, 2013
(30 days)

Eureka! You've found our little secret.

Sign up for our Happening email for all the inside info about arts and culture in the Kickstarter universe and beyond.